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FOR CATERING PURPOSES, LUNCH BOOKINGS HAVE NOW CLOSED. ANY INQUIRIES: 0437 366 651

Stories of Saga Land and the legendary Vikings of Iceland.

Writers on the Waterfront Lunch with author Kári Gíslason.

From 11.30am 16 February 2018 at Shangri-La Hotel, Cairns

Viking history comes alive with best-selling author Kári Gíslason at the lunch event on Friday 16 February 2018 at the Shangri-La Hotel on the waterfront.

Kári Gíslason was co-author of the book Saga Land with ABC’s popular Conversations broadcaster Richard Fidler.

Kári is coming north this week as part of a Weekend Tropical Writers retreat on the Tablelands. Bookings for the lunch and / or the Writers Retreat are now open.

Regarded as classics of world literature, the Icelandic sagas are among the greatest stories ever written.

In 2015, Kári and his friend Richard Fidler travelled to Iceland with a plan to make a radio series and write a book together. They criss-crossed the land to record the true stories of the Vikings in the period 1000 years ago up to the Middle Ages, all the legendary blood feuds and fearless warrior women made popular by The Vikings mini-series.

The Iceland mission also set out to solve a family mystery for Kári. His complicated family history and his revealing of a tightly-held family secret about his Icelandic father was the subject of a beautiful and moving memoir, The Promise of Iceland.Kári says this book was the book he had to write before he could write anything else.

But now, asAssociate Professor teaching Creative Writing and Literary Studies at QUT, Kári wanted to know if it was true what his father had told him at their last meeting, that they shared a bloodline to the greatest saga author, the so-called ‘Shakespeare of Iceland’?

The sagas, recording the history of Iceland settlement, were originally written on calf skins hundreds of years ago, but over the centuries, these fell into disuse, even sometimes rolled up and used to block the wintry wind under doorways. More recently, those that remained undamaged were eventually collected and transcribed for posterity.

The result is 40 unique and realistic stories describing the settlement of Iceland, detailing the heroic Viking raids abroad and blood-feuds at home. The Sagas are the absolute crown jewels of Icelandic culture. They are credited with being the true inspiration behind Lord of the Rings and the mini-series Game of Thrones.

The runaway success of the book of Saga Land by Richard Fidler and Kári Gíslason, published in October 2017, is available at all good bookshops. Collins Booksellers of Smithfield will be running a bookshop at the lunch, and the author will be available for book signings.

BOOK FOR THE LUNCH NOW ! For catering purposes, lunch bookings close 3 days in advance, at close of business Monday 12 Feb. 2018

WEEKEND WRITERS RETREAT:For those interested in the Writers Retreat on the Tablelands 16 - 18 February 2018, places are limited to 20, and it is nearly full. Please send an expression of interest to: program@cairnstropicalwritersfestival.com

Hosted by Cairns Tropical Writers Festival, and initiative of Tropical Writers Inc. The next CTWF is due 17-19 August 2018. Membership of Tropical Writers Inc. is available here : https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/membership-of-tropical-writers-inc-tickets-35711715703

NB: Refunds are not available within 7 days of the event, as lunches will have been paid for as booked.